In the vegetarian Indian class, we recently did Paneer Makhni - butter chicken, but with paneer instead of chicken. Of course, this recipe works well for making the classic Butter Chicken.
Interestingly, butter chicken is not an authentic Indian dish - it was invented in Britain by an Indian chef who wanted to make a dish for the European palette.
400 g Chicken or Paneer
Marinade Paste:
175 g Yogurt
15 g Garlic Paste
15 g Ginger Paste
10 g Coriander Powder
10 g Tandoori Spice
5 g Chili Powder
5 g Cumin Powder
5 g Turmeric
1 x Lemon Juice
10 ml Vegetable Oil
Salt and Pepper
Pinch of Orange-Red Colouring Powder
Sauce:
100 g Butter
1 Large Onion, chopped
Garam Masala - TO TASTE
5 g Sugar
500 g Canned Tomatoes, crushed
500 ml water
50ml (approx) Cream (35%)
5 g Kasoori Methi, lightly toasted
Salt, to taste
1/2 bunch Cilantro, chopped
To prepare the chicken or paneer:
1) Mix together all ingredients for the marinade paste. Combine with chicken or paneer and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2)
Preheat the oven to 400F. Cook the chicken or paneer approximately 10
minutes until lightly crisped (or until cooked through for the chicken).
To prepare the sauce:
1) Heat the butter in a large pan and saute the onions until golden brown.
2) Add the garam masala and sugar, and cook briefly.
3) Add the tomatoes and water. Simmer until slightly thickened and less tart.
4) Add the cream, kasoori methi, and adjust seasoning. It may need more Kasoori Methi, Sugar, or Cream - adjust accordingly.
5) Blend the sauce until smooth
To Finish:
Add the chicken or paneer to the sauce pan. Bring to a light simmer for a few minutes, and finish with cilantro.